Doomed To Repeat
by Madman007
Summary: **SPOILERS for The Last Jedi** Approximately a year after the events of The Last Jedi, Rey has read the Jedi journals and learned much about Jedi lore and instruction. Yet, Rey cannot let go of who her parents were. She begins a separate journey to find the true answers. They may not be the ones she's expecting.
1. Chapter 1

**Doomed To Repeat**

 **Chapter One**

* * *

Rey started the landing cycle on the non descript shuttle that she borrowed from the Resistance. She didn't dare bring back the _Millennium Falcon_ to this planet, nor would she allow Chewbacca to join her. He argued but she was determined. The Wookie had seen that determination in another pilot of the _Falcon_ several times before. This was something she needed to do alone and without calling attention to herself.

The craft landed softly in the hot sand. Once everything was settled, she initiated the locking sequence on the ignition. She couldn't risk anyone trying to steal the shuttle as a means of escape. And there were certainly plenty of human and aliens here who wanted to escape this planet.

Including herself for roughly two decades.

She took an extra moment to look out of the view screen at the blistering desert. She uttered in disbelief, "Jakku. Here I am again."

She thought of the last time she was here. How much had she changed since then? She experienced more excitement in the short time after she left Jakku than the entire time of living here. She finally got out of the pilot seat and prepared to leave the shuttle. She straightened out her black tunic. She already removed her braids allowing her hair to flow down fully on her shoulders. The more she didn't look like she used to on Jakku, the less she would be recognized. She even made a point not to carry her quarterstaff. She had another weapon now.

She eased down the ramp and set foot on the scalding sand. Even through her thick boots she could feel the heat. She tried to align her arrival at sundown, but she forget that even at this time of day on Jakku the sand was still fried from a day's worth of sun.

She used the Force on the controls to close the ramp. She continued walking in the sand. It wasn't long until she reached Nima Outpost. She stopped to look around at the hustle of scavengers and merchants, each trying to survive in their own ways. She saw pretty much the same layout as when she left. She muttered to herself, "This place never changes."

Which was not quite true. She looked near the main blockhouse where scavengers traded their machinery for food portions. At one time there was an ancient structure that acted as a gate to Nima Outpost. That was no longer standing. Rey grinned at the memory of her crashing into the gate with a certain junked up Corellian YT-1300 Freighter. She continued towards the main blockhouse, otherwise known as the Concession Stand.

She admitted that her change in fashion worked in her favor for not looking like Rey, the Scavenger. Beings still gazed in her direction as she walked by. She could feel their curiosity upon seeing this mystery woman. She came upon the Concession Stand and there were still a few in line to trade. She stood aside and waited until the line was down to zero. She slowly approached the counter. She addressed the one she expected.

"Hello, Unkar."

Unkar Plutt, the Crolute alien looked up at the person who called him by name. At first, he didn't recognize the girl. Then, he did. "Oh. You! Why are you back here looking all fancy?"

"I need to speak to you."

"I have nothing to say to you. Unless it has to do with a stolen freighter or my missing arm."

"That ship was never yours to keep. And your missing arm taken by a Wookie was your price for attempted assault on me."

"Now I really don't have anything to say to you."

Rey watched him closely but also felt him in the Force. He was nervous. But he also was trying to hide something.

He added, "Now, go off and steal another ship and leave me alone."

"No. I came here to ask you about my parents."

"Whatever for?"

"It's important to me."

"Isn't that sweet? Not much to say. They didn't want you. They sold you to me and they left you."

"I'm going to need a bit more detail. If you're not willing to tell me more, I can Force it out of you."

Unkar gave a deep laugh. "You think you have power over me, girl? I can break you in two."

Rey grinned. "Much has changed since we last met, Unkar. Let's just say you don't want to test me now."

"Is that so?"

There was an instant motion of both a nod of his head and some type of signal that flickered in his mind. Then she felt them. They were sneaking up from behind her with intent to kill. She kept calm in the Force. She waited until their blasters were inches away from her back. Then she acted.

In one quick motion, she grabbed her new lightsaber hidden under her tunic and ignited it. She performed an instant about face quicker than the two thugs could realize. She moved her amber-colored blade into an upward arc that cut both blasters in half. Before they knew what was happening, she brought her hand up to them and used the Force to push them back hard into the air and then land on the ground. She turned around and pointed the blade at Unkar.

"Now, we _will_ talk about my parents."

Unkar entered his blockhouse with Rey behind him. His henchmen did awake and he dismissed him with promises of punishment later. Unkar went over to a nearby cushion and flopped down. Rey remained standing before him.

He let out a breath and repeated her words back to her. " _'I can Force it out of you.'_ Of course you meant that literally." He gave a pause and said in an almost curse, "A Jedi. That makes so much more sense now."

"Why is that?"

"Because it explains why your parents were terrified of you. You must have shown some Force powers and they had no idea how to handle you."

"Why would they be afraid of the Jedi? Weren't they the protectors of the galaxy?"

Unkar scoffed loudly. "You're so naive, girl. You were born...when...about a decade or so after the Battle of Endor? After the truth came out about the Emperor and his Sith on a leash, Lord Vader, the galaxy had a hard time trusting anyone who used the Force. Including Jedi."

Rey turned defiant. "Luke Skywalker gave the galaxy hope."

"No, he gave the _Rebellion_ hope. The rest of the galaxy didn't care. Skywalker and his new Jedi could say whatever they wanted. People only saw the Jedi as possible Palpatines or Vaders. Your parents were no different."

Rey remembered what Luke had told her on Ahch-To. The Jedi failures practically invited the Sith to return and take over. She had read most of the Jedi journals taken from the sacred tree on Ahch-To. There seemed to be an overemphasis on keeping balance to the Force. Luke's father, Anakin, was prophesized to do just that. But he became Darth Vader. It had been Luke's theory that the Force was already balanced. It was the Sith and the Jedi who kept tipping its scales.

It was all confusing to Rey now. Even after Luke had become one with the Force, she still needed guidance. She couldn't go through this alone. But there was no one else. Luke was gone and Leia succumbed to another coma triggered from her time in open space. It was up to her to find new guidance for the Jedi future.

 _No pressure_ , she thought.

She read what would have happened to her if she had been born during the Old Republic before the Clone Wars. She would have been sent to the Jedi at an early age for training. There were instances where children taken by the Jedi never saw their original families again. How cruel was that? And selfish. She thought that maybe her only connection was to find out about her parents. Which made her think of something.

"Did you know their names?" she asked Unkar.

Unkar hesitated. "No. They never gave me their names. I suspect it was so that you can't do what you're trying to do right now."

She whispered, "Researching them. They didn't want me to know."

"Brings them into a new light now, doesn't it?"

"You know nothing about them," she snapped at him.

"Neither do you. And I know more about them than you do."

"What else do you know about them?"

"I think you know all that is needed. You may not want to know more."

"I will decide that." She concentrated in the Force and focused on Unkar's thoughts. He immediately felt her pry into his mind.

"Stop! You can't. Get out...of my head!" He tried to speak through his grunts of resistance.

"Just relax." She sifted through his memories, bypassing the many cons he was a part of over the years. Those were of no concern to her. She went deeper into his memories. The ones that had to do with her parents. Unkar continued to struggle and cry in pain.

She found a memory that she was familiar with. An image of herself as a young girl screaming, "Come back!" while she was being held by Unkar himself. She watched again the craft that took off into the Jakku sky, leaving the young Rey alone on the planet. Rey concentrated and went back further into the memory. Unkar's point of view on the scene. She now saw a young woman. No face could be seen from the hood over her head. Her hair was the same length and color as Rey's. The woman struggled to hold onto the small arm of a wriggling child.

Rey uttered aloud with a small tear in her eye, "Mother?" She was frail. Even through Unkar's memory she could see that the woman was nervous. She held on to the memory long enough to see Unkar hand the woman a small case. She in turn handed Unkar the screaming child. Rey watched the memory as the woman turned and entered the small shuttle with the case in hand. And the craft took off.

She finally let go of Unkar's mind and he breathed out in relief. She kept replaying the last memory in her mind. The woman left the child behind with almost no emotion. What was in that case? She could reach further into Unkar's mind but she thought it may damage him. Another piece of information she gathered from the memory concerned her more than anything.

The woman was alone.

Unkar spat out, "Did you get what you wanted, _Jedi_?"

"I saw her, Unkar. I couldn't see her face. But I know it was my mother." She paused before adding, "I didn't see my father."

"And you wouldn't. He left her way before she left."

"Why?"

"Oh, you are just itching to go back into my mind, aren't you?"

"Actually, I don't think your mind can take anymore. Just tell me."

"Those two and you weren't around here that long. Nobody knew who you were. They couldn't keep up with you."

Rey sighed. "That's actually not hard to believe."

He continued. "The two argued constantly. Mostly about what to do with you. He left her and months later she came to me for a proposal. A trade for you."

"Drinking money," she repeated Kylo Ren's phrase.

"Oh, more than just money. A way out."

Rey followed his thought. "A new identity."

Unkar scoffed. "You know it's something to ask for a new identity when you nobody knows you anyway. She really did not want to be known."

"So, neither of them are buried here on Jakku?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. Lost track of them after that. Anything is possible."

No names. Her mother changed her name. She was alone without her father. All of it added up in her head spelled one thing. Kylo Ren lied about her parents. Or he interpreted something incorrectly. A safe bet would be the former notion. A conversation for another time. She said to him sincerely, "Thank you, Unkar."

"Like I had a choice." He looked at her as if he suddenly remembered and said, "There's something else. Something I forgot until now. Must have been your trip through my mind that triggered it. Everyone used to see the two of them argue all over Nima but no one really paid attention what it was about. I overheard one of their arguments not long before he left her. I still don't know what it means. He yelled at her saying that you weren't his child. And she said something strange. She said, 'She isn't mine either. She's nobody's child.'". Any idea what she meant?"

Rey looked as dumbfounded as he did and she replied, "No idea."

"Hmm. Thought it might be a Jedi thing."

"Maybe."

"So you're leaving now, right?"

She smiled. "Yes. You've given me enough." She turned to leave but he called out to her.

"Girl...just so you know what you did here. Taking memories from people against their will is not a Jedi power. That is a dark Force power."

She looked back at him and said, "I never claimed to be a Jedi. That was your word. The Jedi ended with Skywalker's passing. Besides, there is no light and dark side. There is only the Force. That's what I intend to teach the galaxy." She turned and disappeared out of the blockhouse.

Unkar Plutt uttered, "Good luck with that."

* * *

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

**Doomed To Repeat**

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

Back on the shuttle, Rey could only sit in the pilot's seat and process the information she received from Unkar Plutt. Her mother acted alone in trading her for money and possibly a new identity. So how could Kylo Ren know that both her parents died a pauper's death and were buried on Jakku? She could understand them being poor, especially hanging around Nima Outpost. Unfortunately, Unkar could not verify her parent's deaths or where they were buried. Maybe Ren couldn't either. Perhaps he was luring her to join him in his desire to rule the galaxy. Or maybe it was as she thought. Ren saw a glimpse in the past that consisted of mere images and not hard facts. He was interpreting them the best way he could.

What gave Rey a new concern now was Unkar's claim what her mother's said that he overheard. _She is nobody's child._ What could possibly be the meaning in that, if it was indeed true.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a HoloNet call coming in. She looked at the identification and sighed. Maz Kanata. The only being in this galaxy now who could give her insight on the Force. Maz never revealed how she became so acquainted with the Force. Rey never witnessed her using the Force, unless her powers were based on merely feeling emotions in others through the Force. She had an extraordinary sense of intuition. It was Maz who suggested to Rey that if she wanted to pursue the answers about her parents, she would need to "follow the source". That led Rey to Unkar, since he was the recipient of the trade between herself and her mother.

Rey answered the HoloNet message. A foot tall blue-white image of Maz Kanata appeared before her. Her wide eye glasses dominated the image.

"Hello, Maz."

For a moment Maz did not say anything. She leaned in closer and took off her oversized eyewear. She finally asked, "Child? Rey? Is that you?"

"Yes. Who else?"

Maz smiled wide. "You let your hair down, child. I almost didn't recognize you. Looks good on you."

Rey shrugged. "I only needed it for a disguise. What did you need?"

"Did you get your answers?"

"Some. Now I have more questions."

"I thought so. What did you find out?"

Rey hesitated and said, "I saw my mother, Maz. She was so thin. I couldn't see her face but I saw her hair that's the same color and length as mine. She traded me for a case that looked to have more than just drinking money in it. Unkar said he supplied her with a new identity."

"I see. What about your father?"

"He wasn't with her. Unkar said he left mother weeks before the trade. She was alone."

"Interesting. Do you believe him?"

She scoffed. "You can't exactly make up memories on the spot."

Maz gave a look that was on the border of scolding. "I assume you used the Force?"

"Yes. I saw Unkar's memories," Rey stated almost too casually. "Those were the only details I could get from him."

"Mmm, otherwise he would be in too much pain."

"Yes."

"Well, you are certainly using all means necessary to get your answers. Although, you are running out of sources. Unkar Plutt was the last connection to your parents."

"That we know of."

"Who else could know? I know you saw your mother take some kind of case on the trade for you. And she was alone. That doesn't coincide with what Kylo Ren told you. He said they were _both_ buried on Jakku in a pauper's grave. How could that happen if your mother was alone?"

"I thought you discouraged me from finding the truth about my parents."

"I'm only reminding you that Kylo Ren could be lying to you."

"I actually figured that on my own."

Maz shook her head. "Child...Rey...why are you so adamant about this? Where we come from is not as important as who we become. And the best example of that is Luke Skywalker."

Rey cringed as the mention of Master Skywalker. At one time she sought him out to get answers about her new found powers. She remembered travelling to Ahch-To with Chewbacca in the _Falcon_. On the way, she played out several different scenarios involving meeting the legendary Master. Of all the people in the galaxy, she was the one who was about to rediscover the Jedi Master after all those years in solitude. He was going to train her and follow her back to defeat Snoke and Kylo Ren. He was to help her bring hope to the galaxy over the First Order.

None of that happened.

 _This is not going to go the way you think._

Rey realized that when it came to the Force, nothing she had assumed about it was correct. It was too complex to understand everything about it. With her parents, she knew the answers were still out there. She told Maz, "They are a part of me, Maz. They may not have had a significant role in the galaxy. I may have come from nothing, but that doesn't mean I can never make a difference. I'm afraid if I don't find the true answers, I'll never know who I am."

"Oh, child. Look at what you have accomplished just since leaving Jakku. You've made a new lightsaber on your own. You have accepted the role of teacher in the Force. You began a movement to find those in the galaxy who haven't realized their Force potential yet. Just like you once did. People in the Resistance look up to you, Rey. They see you as a–"

"A what? A legend? Luke Skywalker was a legend. So was his sister. Look what happened to them."

"And you were the last connection to both of them. That is why the leaders of the Resistance trust you. Because the Skywalkers did."

"I'm not so sure if Luke did," she scoffed.

"Of course he did, Rey. He wouldn't have gone through his final act if it weren't for you. The Skywalkers' time is over. You, Rey, are a part of the next generation of Jedi. Whether you choose to become that leader is up to you. The Force chose you and others to keep the balance."

Rey replied defiantly, "The balance between light and dark? I've read the journals, Maz. Throughout the Jedi history it was believed that way. The Jedi misunderstood that the light was the _only_ side to keep balanced. The true balance is to keep the light and dark together as one Force. _That_ was what Luke was teaching me."

"Perhaps that was part of his third lesson you spoke of."

"Maybe." She ran her hands through her hair and stretched. "That is a whole conversation for another time. The research on my parents is also something I need to know about. Now more than ever."

"Why, child?"

Rey hesitated. "Something Unkar said. He told me my parents and myself were not on Jakku long. But they argued about me. It's possible they were frightened of me. Unkar heard them say that the child...me...was not theirs. He heard my mother say that I belonged to nobody."

Maz sighed. "And this from the reliable Unkar Plutt?" She paused and asked Rey, "What do you think it means?"

"I wasn't sure until just now. What if...I was born...like Anakin? Through the Force?"

Maz slowly began to realize what Rey was saying and she replied, "Honey, no. That's not possible."

"Maybe it's why I can use the Force so well. And how quickly I've learned it."

"Rey, you can't think like this. The Jedi use of the Force is natural. Some learn it in different ways. But what you're suggesting has never been proven."

"Supposedly, Anakin did not have a father."

"But you did."

"Did I? How do we know for sure? You see why I have to know?"

"Child, don't do this. You are only setting yourself up for disappointment."

Rey chuckled humorlessly. "Trust me, I already experienced that on Ahch-To."

"All right. Fair enough. I can see your determination. How do you intend to continue your research?"

Rey shrugged. "Just like you said. Follow the source. There is only one other left to ask."

Maz looked confused but then her expression turned to horror. "No! Rey, that's too dangerous."

"Maz, I've learned to realize over the past year that dangerous can also mean opportunity at the same time. Besides you, he is the only one with knowledge of the Force now. And he is the only student of Luke Skywalker's who is still alive."

"But Rey–"

"No, Maz. I have to try. I'll contact you when I can." She shut off the holoprojector. She then sat in silence and concentrated.

She focused on Ben Solo.

* * *

tbc


	3. Chapter 3

**Doomed To Repeat**

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

Rey began concentrating in the Force to focus on Ben Solo. She did so, not knowing if it would work. With her previous connections to Ben there was no need for concentration. He was just there in the Force. The link between the two had been created by the Supreme Leader Snoke. And now Snoke was gone.

She remembered the last time she saw Ben through the link. Immediately after Luke revealed his presence was projected from Ahch-To, the remaining members of the Resistance were able to escape on the _Millennium Falcon_. Once she boarded, she could see Ben in the distance. He wordlessly pleaded for her to accept his offer to join him to rule the galaxy. Rey physically and figuratively closed their link by shutting the ramp between them.

She had not seen Ben Solo through the Force since that moment. Up to this point, she had no reason to. Now that she needed Ben's input, she could only guess that concentrating in the Force would regenerate the link. She tried for several minutes and no result. She soon gave up and started to prep the shuttle for takeoff. She left the cockpit to check on the repulsor charge batteries. Once she entered the main area of the shuttle, there he was.

Ben Solo was standing several meters away. It was like before. He wore his usual black tunic with cape. She felt a small bout of relief that he was fully dressed this time. He looked like he was in a daze until he spotted her. As with her image of him, his image of her did not reveal her location.

He gave no sense of emotion upon seeing her suddenly. It was as if he were expecting to see her. He stated, "Rey. It's been a long time. You made the connection on your own."

"I wasn't sure if it would work. You know, without Snoke."

"Apparently, it did. Impressive. Have you finally come to your senses to accept my offer? It still stands, of course."

"As does my refusal. That's not why I'm here."

"Why are we here? Not that I can tell where _here_ is."

She hesitated because of the nature of her request. "I...I need to ask you something."

"About your parents?"

She tried to hide her surprise and failed. "How did you know?"

"Logic. I'm the only one left to ask. Both Skywalkers are gone. There are no more Jedi. Though, I hear you are finding those in the galaxy who have Force potential but haven't realized it yet. Much like yourself not long ago. That's good. I'm afraid it won't be enough. As you may or may not know, I'm the new Supreme Leader. I'm gaining more momentum by the day."

She interrupted. "My, you really love to hear yourself talk. Just like Han. Not so much Leia. You have a different aspect of her personality."

"You can no longer make me angry."

"I'd like to place a wager on that."

He ignored her remark and asked, "What did you get from Unkar Plutt?"

She knew he asked to force a reaction from her. The same way she did to him. This was their game against each other from the beginning. She was tired of the games. She replied with a straight face, "Many things. Things that contradict what you told me about them."

"So you take the word of a low life on Jakku but you believe _I'm_ the one lying?"

"Unkar may be a con man and swindler, but he isn't trying to get me to join him to take over the galaxy."

"Fair enough. What did his version tell you?"

"My mother was alone when she traded me to Unkar. And it wasn't just for drinking money like you said. There was a case involved that included a new identification. My father left my mother long before the trade. If they went their separate ways, and with the amount of money that could be in that case, how could they _both_ have been buried in a pauper's grave?"

"Details. Luke used to tell us in the beginning of our training that the future is always in motion. Nothing there is concrete. That means the past is static. Unmoving. It never changes but it does fade away from memory over time. The images I saw through our connection about your parents had to be sifted first. I put them together like a puzzle in order to form my conclusion. There could be small differences like you saw from Unkar's memories. But you came to the same conclusion as I did. Your parents were still nobodies."

"And I went directly to the source without relying on mere images." She sighed and said, "Look, we could stand here and argue what you told me about my parents all day. That wasn't what I needed to know." She started to walk around the shuttle bay while always keeping an eye on him. "Unkar told me that he overheard my mother say something to my father. She said that I was 'nobody's child'."

"An appropriate title."

"No, Ben. He said that neither of my parents claimed me as their own."

"What are you saying?"

She swallowed before she asked, "Could I have been born the same way as your grandfather?"

He cracked a grin, which might have been the first time she saw him do so. He asked her, "Wherever did you get an idea like that?"

She made a mental note before she connected to not focus on the Jedi journals taken from Ahch-To. She couldn't take the chance that Ben may want them for his own purposes. It was in the journals where she learned of the prophecy that Anakin Skywalker was to fulfill. Instead, she told him, "I formed my own conclusions. I just want to know if it was possible."

"You think that the Force itself created you inside your mother's womb without the help of your father?"

Rey grinned awkwardly. "Sounds a bit far fetched when you put it like that."

"As well it should. It's preposterous."

Rey was confused. "Didn't your parents or even Luke tell you that Anakin Skywalker did not have a father? His mother just became pregnant."

"If that story was true, the Skywalkers or Solos would never tell me or confirm it. You have to understand that my family never had time to tell me stories. Least of all, one that involved my grandfather."

Rey understood something and said, "Yet there were several warnings about Darth Vader. Warnings about using powers that lead to the Dark Side. What were the ways down that path? Fear, anger, suffering." She shrugged. "Emotions that people of all species experience. But Jedi were told that if they experience too much of any one of those emotions that they will somehow automatically enter the Dark Side. Seems a bit childish to me."

Ben nodded. "Trust me, I agree."

"Is that why you joined the Knights Of Ren? Is that your generation's version of the Sith?"

Ben snapped, "I am _not_ Sith! The Sith are no more. I am in the Dark Side because I _want_ to be. I am a part of the darkness."

"No, Ben. You and I are _both_ part of the same Force. There are no sides. You chose to use powers that are considered dark. Powers that only benefit the user and harm others, not help them. And I chose to use powers that assist others in need. It is our choices that determine what powers we use."

"Choices? Let's talk about choices. I'm sure you assisted Unkar in taking his memories that he wouldn't have given willingly. It would take great power in the Force to pull them from him and he would be in pain. I know. I've used that power before. I've used it on you. And you _chose_ to use it on Unkar. How did that help him?"

The thought hit her like a permacrete brick. She had no answer for him. He had just rendered her argument null and void. Even Unkar recognized the dark power she used.

Ben used her silence to his advantage. "Before you start making claims that dark and light powers are part of one Force, you should first decide if using one over the other is more convenient for you. And for what? To find out about your parents? It must mean so much to you that you would resort to using a dark power to gain information about them. It almost borders on obsession."

Finally, she spoke out. "That's easy for you to say, Ben. You had your family. You lived with them. Yet, you threw them away. And that was way before you killed Han and drove Leia away. I never knew my family. I waited for them for almost two decades. They are a mystery to me." She chuckled first before adding, "I mean, I don't even have a surname like Skywalker or Solo. I'm just Rey. I'm not even sure if that's the name my parents gave me. It's just what they called me on Jakku."

She used his silence against him this time and continued. "They may have been nobodies to the galaxy. But not to me. And then there's you with parents who have the most popular names in the galaxy. They loved you and supported you. But no, you had to complain that mommy and daddy didn't give you the amount of attention that you wanted."

"You may want to be careful now. You know nothing about my life with my parents."

"Oh, I don't? Because that would be terrible if someone ever came close. You would have to use a dark power on them if they got too close to the truth." She paused and admitted, "I know I extracted memories from Unkar. I stopped because I knew he couldn't take anymore pain. But I was desperate." She hung her head down. "Maybe it was an obsession." She raised it back up at him. "But you don't use the Force because you're desperate. You use dark powers because you _want_ to."

"I told you to be careful."

She ignored his veiled threat. "You have an obsession, too, Ben. You are obsessed with power. You tried to involve me with your plans to rule the galaxy, not so we can work together but for you to _control_ me. Can't you see that your lust for power is why I refused you? I thought I felt a conflict within you once. I don't anymore. The only future I saw when we linked had to do with you defeating Snoke. Well, that certainly came true. Maybe he felt the same conflict in you as I did? Or maybe the same weakness. Compassion."

"Shut up!"

"You couldn't have your mentor know that you have compassion. So you killed him. Now you're alone in the galaxy. You can wallow in your misery all by yourself. You may still have that compassion, Ben. The same compassion you inherited from Han and Leia. Instead, you focus on wanting the same power that your grandfather once had. Ironically, Darth Vader sacrificed his power and his life to save his son."

"I said, shut up!"

Rey kept on. "When it comes to our families, Ben, we're similar. Although, where you are trying to run away from them, I'm trying to run to them. You told me to kill the past. Funny that neither of us are doing so."

Despite the unknown distance between them, she could still feel the rage inside of him building. He was visibly panting. Seemed that what she said to him was what he needed to hear. They both did. Now she was watching him and anticipating a strong reaction. He couldn't reach her wherever he was. Could he?

"Ben? Ben, are you all right?"

He suddenly lurched forward with his arm outstretched and shouted, "My name is Kylo Ren!"

The extreme thrust he projected through the Force crossed through space and hit Rey head on. She was pushed backwards in the air and hit hard against the opposite shuttle bay wall. She landed on the floor feeling weak. Once she regained her strength, she eased herself up. She looked over at the area where Kylo Ren was standing moments ago. He was gone.

She muttered to herself, "Guess I won that bet. Can't make you mad, Ben? You sure about that?" She limped into the cockpit and flopped in the pilot's chair.

She thought of her latest visit with Kylo Ren. That rage. It was too intense to just be about his family. He was so insecure, mostly about Darth Vader. It was the part of his family that he was drawn to. It made her wonder what she was drawn to. Was she obsessed with a family that abandoned her? The fact that they left her alone on Jakku for eighteen years became the constant fact beneath every new truth she discovered. What would be gained by knowing more truths? Did she need the full truth that badly?

She had friends now in the Resistance. And now there was a growing collection of new Force users whom she and Leia found across the galaxy. They would eventually need a teacher. Leia would have been that teacher. That didn't happen. It was up to herself now. She was the new teacher. Her new students were her future. Her family was her past. She did not want that much rage to build up inside of her over them. Like it did Kylo Ren.

That's when she decided. It was time to kill her past.

She began the ignition sequence and plotted her next hyperdrive jump back to the Resistance. She noticed that there had been a call on the HoloNet that she missed. She glanced at the identification code. Finn.

She smiled as she entered the code. Soon, a small blue-white image of Finn, the former First Order stormtrooper appeared.

"Hello Finn."

"Hey Rey. I was trying to reach you earlier."

Since she knew she would receive nothing but scolding from him, she decided to skip the fact that she just spoke with Kylo Ren. "Sorry, I was away."

"Still on your quest? How's that going?"

She sighed. Seemed she may get a reprimand anyway. "I just spoke to Unkar Plutt. It pretty much went nowhere."

He shook his head. "Of course it went nowhere. You're back on Jakku. Will you ever be over that place?"

"I think I am now. In fact, I believe I'm done with my little quest, too."

"Good. That means you can come back."

"Sure. I was about to make the jump to the Osarian system. You still there?"

"No, but we're still in the Expansion Region. We moved on to the Vinth system. I can send you the coordinates. Is your encrypt on your computer up to code?"

"Should be. BB-8 and I worked on it briefly to upgrade it on this junk shuttle."

"Serves you right for not taking the _Falcon_ and Chewbacca."

"I didn't want to attract attention." She had the urge to ask him something that could have waited until she saw him in person. She couldn't wait. "Finn...before you were recruited as a stormtrooper, did you know your parents?"

"Why did I know this question would be coming soon?"

"Just indulge me and answer. Please."

He considered for a moment and then explained, "When you're called for duty as a stormtrooper in the First Order, we have no identification. Only our ID numbers. We're trained at a young age. None of us ever knew who are parents were."

"Did that bother you?"

"Not really. We were too battle trained to think about it." He hesitated and smiled. "Now, after I escaped and met you, Poe, General Solo, and Rose, it felt more like a true family than ever. I don't even think about my parents anymore." He gave a loud exaggerated clearing of his throat. "Until some friend of mine brings them back up. See, now you made me sad."

"Oh, hush, Finn."

"I'm scarred for life now," he said through fake cries. "Thank you so much for sharing your misery."

"Hey, do we have to duel again to make you stop?"

His face turned serious and he said, almost in fear, "Oh, so you can beat me again with your fancy new yellow lightsaber? No, thanks. Oh, hey, the reason I called before was to tell you that we found more Force users in the Vinth system. Feel like a little recruiting trip when you get back?"

"I guess."

"Boy, I can feel your lack of excitement all the way from here."

"It's just that Leia was the one who usually led those trips."

"Now it'll be you."

"Don't know if I can. What do I say to them?"

"Rey, I've seen you read all those Jedi books. I'm sure you'll come up with something."

"Maybe I'll find something new, not in those journals. For a thousand years the Jedi followed those books loyally. Maybe it's time for a change."

"What is that old saying? Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it."

She smiled. "Yes. Thank you, Finn. It's what I needed to hear now."

He took a moment to watch her gaze into space and asked, "Hey, are you really all right? You sure you're ready to come back yet?"

"Yes, I'm ready. After what Kylo Ren first told me about my parents, I thought I needed more. That by knowing I'd be complete. People would be able to call me something other than just Rey."

"Rey, haven't you figured out by now? It doesn't matter. You have family here now. And we would never abandon you."

A sudden burst of emotion hit her hard enough that her eyes began to water. She said, "It doesn't matter. You are so right, Finn. What would I do without you?"

"Well, first off you would still be on that forsaken Jakku. And even if you did find the Resistance somehow, you would have to challenge Poe to a duel. Or Chewbacca. And you're on your own there."

She made a fake sneer and said, "I could take him."

"I'm sure you could. You've come a long way, Rey."

"We both have, Finn." She dried her eyes with her hands and breathed out hard before noting, "Speaking of long way, I have your coordinates and I'm ready for the jump. Let me get off this rock for the last time."

"Now, you're sure it will be the last time?"

"Yes."

"Positive? I don't want you to be homesick."

She chuckled. "That's the point, Finn. I'm too sick of this home."

"Good answer. See ya when I see ya, Rey."

"See you then, Finn." She shut off the Holo. She started the repulsors and pushed the throttle forward. Yet, she glanced back in the corner of viewscreen that still showed Jakku.

"Goodbye, Jakku. Goodbye, mum and dad. I have a future to attend to."

The shuttle broke atmo and she was in space. The navi-computer beeped to indicate that the hyperspace jump was ready. Before she squeezed the hyperspace gear, she uttered, "One past. Dead and buried."

 **THE END**


End file.
